Sharp GP6765 vs TCL C7L

In movie mode, the Sharp GP6765 reaches a brightness of 300 nits, which is relatively average. This level of brightness is more suited to standard SDR content than to the full HDR experience. As a result, the TV struggles to deliver the depth and dynamics typically expected from a good HDR mode. Visual effects that might appear sharp and detailed on other models could seem more subdued here, and high-contrast scenes won't be as striking. However, compared to other models in this price range, this is still a decent performance. A positive feature is the TV's support for a wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, covering 92.5%, thanks to the inclusion of quantum dots (Quantum Dot/QLED). This offers a solid improvement, particularly in this price bracket, resulting in vibrant and more saturated colours, although the limited brightness still prevents a fully immersive HDR experience.

TCL C7L is undoubtedly an extremely bright television. In synthetic tests on static images, it can achieve peak brightness levels of around 2800 nits. This is an absolutely phenomenal result, considering the price range it falls into. Unfortunately, the tests with real film scenes are not as spectacular as the measurements of white squares. The brightness in actual HDR shots drops to around 1200 nits in the C7L model. This is still a very good result, as the vast majority of contemporary films are mastered at such a value. However, when small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, the brightness of those details drastically drops – even to about 400 nits – which diminishes the HDR effect somewhat. The television does this intentionally to maintain a better level of black and prevent a huge glare of light. This is somewhat explainable, but it also shows that Mini LED technology is not completely uncompromising in this regard. As for the HDR effect itself – alongside brightness, colors are obviously key here. And these, thanks to the use of new, "super" quantum dots, are simply outstanding and among the best on the market. The television can achieve around 90% coverage of the ultra-wide color gamut BT.2020 and 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut, easily matching the best RGB MINI-LED screens. Best of all, the C7L can maintain such high color saturation regardless of the scene being displayed, which is often problematic in competing RGB Mini-LED televisions.

The Sharp GP6765 was launched in movie mode, which offers the best settings for colour reproduction. However, despite this, the quality remains far from ideal. In SDR mode, the white balance graph shows significant increases in the red colour, making the image appear somewhat yellowish and distorting natural skin tones. This results in some scenes looking unnatural, and colours losing their authenticity. In HDR mode, the issue worsens as blue becomes the dominant colour, which negatively affects the colour balance and causes a loss of detail in cool tones. As a result, the image can appear cold and unbalanced, highlighting the TV's inability to achieve optimal colour reproduction. Tests with the Colour Checker tool confirm these shifts across several samples.

In terms of contrast, the HD mode shows a significant jump at the start of the graph, but it remains close to the reference line at 2.4. This means that in most scenes, the TV delivers a satisfactory level of contrast, enhancing details in shadows and adding depth to the image. However, in HDR mode, the EOTF curve fluctuates significantly at both ends of the graph, leading to inconsistencies in bright and dark areas of the image. In scenes with intense light, such as explosions or dynamic actions, key details may be lost, and the image may appear blurry. Similarly, in darker scenes, the lack of clear differences in shades may cause details to merge into a uniform spot, reducing overall quality. While movie mode offers the best factory settings for the GP6765, there are still significant issues with colour reproduction and contrast.

When it comes to colors straight out of the box, a new feature in TCL televisions – including the C7L model – is the presence of a new picture mode called Filmmaker Mode. This is significant news, as such a mode was previously unavailable from this manufacturer. By design, as the name itself suggests, the image in this setting is intended to be presented with the full intent of the film's creator. After our tests, we can confirm that it is undoubtedly the best built-in mode on this television if you care about faithful color reproduction straight out of the box. However, we definitely wouldn't say that it is perfect. Like most devices on the market, this C7L also had its factory flaws. The white balance in Filmmaker Mode strayed into a slightly greenish-yellow hue, mainly due to an excess of green component and a noticeable lack of blue color. Of course, for the average viewer, this may not be a drastic flaw, but if you care about perfect whites, natural skin tones, and fully unlocking the potential of these new "super" quantum dots, this television is in need of professional calibration.

After calibration, the Sharp GP6765 television shows marked improvement in film mode, particularly in SDR content. The white balance now closely aligns with the reference line, offering more natural and true-to-life colour reproduction. While not perfectly straight, the results are still satisfactory for the price range, significantly enhancing the overall visual experience and immersion in movies. The colour gamut shows some improvement, with the initial jump in the graph persisting but being less noticeable, leading to a more consistent and enjoyable image.

For HDR content, while the white balance performs somewhat worse than in SDR, it is still a notable improvement compared to pre-calibration. The calibration ensures better colour consistency, though some shortcomings remain. As for contrast, no major gains were observed. The lack of control over dynamic tone mapping prevented significant improvement in EOTF, resulting in uneven brightness reproduction.

Despite some limitations, particularly in HDR content and dynamic tone mapping, the Sharp GP6765 reveals a more polished performance after calibration. The improved white balance and colour reproduction in SDR make it more visually appealing. While further refinement is needed, it still provides a satisfying visual experience, making it a strong contender in its price category.

After conducting a professional calibration, we managed to significantly improve the situation in the factory Filmmaker Mode. Following our adjustments, the errors in the ColorChecker test and across the entire wide color gamut dropped below the threshold of human perception – that is, below a value of 3, which is indeed a very good result. The TCL C7L definitely benefits from such an intervention in terms of color fidelity, and it's hard to dispute that. However, the management of brightness in HDR content post-calibration looks a bit worse. As I described earlier – even though we set up this model properly, when we turn on actual film scenes on the TV, it manages its brightness in a rather peculiar way. It often brightens certain elements on the screen contrary to the creator's intent, which is clearly visible in the EOTF graphs measured in specific films. Despite this defect – or rather a specific characteristic of this television – one cannot take away from it that after calibration, the C7L was able to reproduce the colors completely accurately.

The Sharp GP6765 television delivers solid performance with its "10-bit colour reproduction" feature, particularly in the tested scene featuring light bulbs. Setting this option to "medium" provides satisfactory results, with no issues related to grain smoothing or the blurring of important image elements. Even the "low" setting performs well, delivering a clear image without compromising detail. These transition smoothing options enhance visual quality by providing more natural colour transitions.

In terms of image scaling, the Sharp GP6765 shows strengths, such as the absence of overscan when displaying test material. This ensures viewers can enjoy the full image without losing edge details. However, some weaknesses were noted in a tested scene featuring a model. Elements such as branches or trousers appear slightly jagged, indicating a lack of effective edge-smoothing techniques. This can cause certain details to look distorted, impacting the overall viewing experience.

This point can be, in a sense, called the Achilles' heel of the C7L model. Unfortunately, this TV uses an older MediaTek chipset – the Pentonic 700 – which has never been known for exceptional digital image processing. This is clearly evident in the operation of the gradual smoothing feature, which is responsible for reducing jagged edges and removing digital noise. It simply works very poorly – after setting it to low, its effectiveness is practically nonexistent. The only small plus here is that the algorithm doesn't spoil anything additional in the image and doesn’t forcibly blur details. The upscaling, that is, scaling the image from lower resolutions to 4K, performs a bit better. It is simply adequate and doesn’t stand out in any particular way compared to the competition. However, it cannot be denied that the C7L would gain significantly in this aspect if the manufacturer decided to use the newer Pentonic 800 processor, which is now increasingly found in many competitive models.

When it comes to motion blur and movement fluidity, the Sharp GP6765 TV offers rather average performance. Equipped with a 60 Hz panel, it handles movies adequately. The TV includes a motion smoother called "Motion Enhancement," which allows users to control motion fluidity, enabling a choice between visible film frame interpolation or a smoother, more theatrical appearance. This feature should meet the needs of most users focused on movie viewing.

However, the TV's performance falls short in sports or gaming. In the tested UFO alien scene, noticeable blurriness indicates that the panel's low response time negatively impacts the sharpness of moving objects. This issue becomes particularly evident during dynamic sequences, where rapid movements are frequent. For viewers who enjoy sports or fast-paced video games, these limitations in motion handling can be off-putting, making the Sharp GP6765 less suitable for such content.

TCL C7L features a native 4K panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which can even ramp up to 288 Hz at lower resolutions when using a PC. These are, of course, very high values and commendable on paper, but in everyday life, it's worth remembering that nearly all dynamic content you display on this television will still be running around a maximum of 120 Hz. To harness this dynamics, we find a motion smoothing system in the TV's menu called “Motion Clarity.” It offers several predefined modes, including a user mode, which we definitely recommend setting manually using our tried-and-true guides on our YouTube channel. There we have two key sliders at our disposal. The first one, “Blur Reduction,” is responsible for reducing blurring and improving sharpness in dynamic 60fps materials, such as sports broadcasts. The second slider, “Flicker Reduction,” allows for the addition of artificial frames in movies and series recorded at cinematic 24 or 30 frames per second. This, of course, completely eliminates the irritating stutter effect during camera movement shots.

The gaming functionality of the Sharp GP6765 leaves much to be desired. Although this model includes HDMI 2.1 ports, which theoretically promise modern features, the reality is far less impressive. The only feature that takes advantage of this standard is Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Unfortunately, the absence of key functionalities such as Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG) significantly limits its appeal to gamers. VRR is crucial for eliminating screen tearing and stuttering, particularly in dynamic games where fluidity is essential. Similarly, HGIG ensures optimal HDR mapping, enhancing visual quality and immersion. While Dolby Vision might seem like a benefit, it proves useless for gaming due to the very high input lag in this mode.

The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 ports in the Sharp GP6765 feels like a marketing ploy, potentially misleading users into believing that the standard automatically provides all its associated benefits. Gamers expecting full functionality from HDMI 2.1 are likely to be disappointed.

When it comes to gaming, the TCL C7L is simply an outstanding television for gamers. With the presence of two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports at 48 Gbps, we have access to all the key features that console owners and powerful PC users require. It offers a well-functioning ALLM mode with very low input lag and VRR frame synchronization that operates impressively from 48 up to 288 Hz. Importantly, unlike some competitors, TCL has ensured proper implementation of the console HDR10 HGIG profile and support for Dolby Vision in games. This is complemented by a well-designed gaming panel, the Game Bar, which even allows for customization of its appearance and theme to perfectly match the aesthetics of your console.

The only thing that can – and indeed must – be criticized here is the fact that the television offers only two full HDMI 2.1 ports, while the other two are older HDMI 2.0. This creates quite a significant logistical problem. Why? Because one of those fast ports also supports the eARC audio return channel. In practice, this means that if you connect a soundbar or home theater system to the television, you will only have one free HDMI 2.1 port left. If you have two consoles or a console and a powerful computer at home, unfortunately, you will have to give up something or constantly juggle the cables at the back of the unit while maintaining convenient audio system control.